


i will not ask you where you came from

by sybarite1



Series: We Never Put The FUN In Dysfunctional (Until Now) [8]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Codependency, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Post They Save They World, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 02:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18188681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sybarite1/pseuds/sybarite1
Summary: The Hargreeves were not… a physically demonstrative family, to say the least.





	i will not ask you where you came from

Ben returned to life more determined to live it the second time around. One of his biggest delights was properly having senses again, and one of the side effects of that was that he now loved to be touched. The Hargreeves were not… a physically demonstrative family, to say the least. But Ben flopped onto everyone and cut through any protests with his I Was Dead So You Should Appreciate Me speech. It was a good speech; so far no one has said no to Ben. That didn’t mean they were equally welcoming though.

Vanya would pet him, fingers carding through his hair as his eyelids drooped. Allison would wrap an arm around him and hug him tight. Klaus could be relied on to full body cuddle with him – Ben often went to sleep like that. He got the feeling they were still a mutual comfort to each other; Klaus and he.

Of his other brothers, Luther was surprisingly the next most receptive. He never initiated contact and when Ben did, he never did much in response. But he always held real still for Ben. His fingers, when he did touch, were barely there. Soft, soft brushes against skin. Everything about Luther suggested he was afraid of his strength – he was always so careful with Ben.

Five and Diego still tensed up and they certainly wouldn’t hold him. Five felt especially wooden but growing up alone in a wasteland would probably do that to a boy.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Diego asked idly, having wandered into Ben’s room.

“Thinking about hugging you.”

Diego didn’t ask any more, just turned on his heel and left. Ben watched him retreat in amusement and resolved to persevere; one day their spines would unbend a little. Maybe they’d even reach back. He could afford to wait; he had time now.

**Author's Note:**

> In this arc:  
> \- Ben is alive  
> \- Klaus is sober  
> \- Five is aged up  
> \- Allison can speak  
> \- Vanya can control her powers  
> \- Luther is 100% human again and  
> \- Diego still stutters because you’ll pry that from my cold, dead hands.
> 
> Also, while this is tagged gen, it’s also tagged for codependency. These guys aren’t necessarily having healthy and well-adjusted relationships with each other, even if they are enjoying them. They’re not great at boundaries, for starters, and they come back clingy af. Also, while I anticipate adding more gen pieces, I may also add pieces that flirt with shipping or that have pairings outright, because, like I said, they’re not great with boundaries and they’re clingy af. They will be tagged accordingly so you can avoid them if preferred. My last caveat is that this is horribly self-indulgent. I just wanted to write them kinda happy and together. Bear with.


End file.
